1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foam rollers that are used for exercise, balance and movement awareness.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Many physical therapists and exercise trainers recognize the benefits of core strength, balance and movement awareness. By core strength, trainers and persons exercising refer to strength of the muscles, primarily in the abdominal and back area. Thus, exercises that facilitate balance, develop good posture and emphasize movement awareness are considered valuable exercises. In addition, many gyms come equipped with devices that rely on balance for proper use. As particular exercises force a person to balance and assume proper posture, the many muscles used to maintain balance and posture strengthen. These stronger muscles improve a person's balance and posture. Thus, exercises that force persons to balance and have good posture are considered valuable exercises.
In addition, better balance helps to avoid injury, especially in the elderly. Good posture also makes injury during exercises or daily activities less likely.
Many exercise devices are used to improve balance. The BOSU is one example. It has a hard, flat, rubberized side and an inflated dome on the opposite side. The user may stand on either side of the BOSU and balance. People also sit on the dome side and perform abdominal exercises. In another exercise, users mount the dome side down and perform balancing pushups with their hands on the flat side.
A disk with curved top and bottom surfaces is another balance device. Some people also use soft foam blocks about 1 foot (30 cm) square and 1 or 2 inches (2.5–5 cm) thick (metric conversions are approximate). The block's resiliency makes balancing more difficult and forces a user to concentrate on balancing.
Many gyms have inflatable balls of different diameters between about 1.5 and 2 feet (45–65 cm). People use them for sit-ups and other abdominal exercises. In another exercise, the user places his or her hands on the floor with legs on the ball. Drawing the knees toward the chest exercises the back and abdominal muscles. In addition, some do push-ups with the legs or feet on the ball and the hands on the floor. The ball adds the element of balance to common sit-ups and push-ups. Still other use the ball purely for balance by kneeling on the ball and maintaining balance.
Wobble boards and similar devices also improve balance. They have a flat board mounted on a narrow block or roller, and the user balances the board above the block.
The Core Board is a platform mounted on a base. The mounting allows the platform to tilt to all angles and directions. The platform also can pivot about the base. The mounting is resilient so that the platform returns to its original position when no force acts on it. The device is said to be active with dynamic response to movement.
Therapeutic or exercise foam rollers are another prior art device. They typically are about 3 feet long (0.9 m) and about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. Shorter versions are available. The user can stand or walk on it for balance. Alternatively, the user lies on the roller with the roller axis aligned with the spine. The 6-inch diameter raises the person's shoulders and back above the floor or mat and forces him or her to balance. Depending on the person's height, the roller's 3 foot length is usually long enough to support the head and still extend to the hips. From the supine position, the user can perform abdominal crunches, leg lifts, and arm, chest and other exercises. The user's feet remain on the ground for many exercises. During the exercise, the person must continually adjust for balance on the roller. This forces the user to engage and ultimately strengthen many different muscles.
Instead of a circular cross-section, some rollers' sections are semi-circular. Other rollers are available with different diameters or lengths.
Foam rollers provide excellent “prompts” and are especially helpful in core stability retraining. Because foam rollers are cylindrical and inherently unstable, they challenge conscious awareness, provide sensory motor challenges, and enhance balance reactions, body awareness, muscle re-education, motor planning and neural flexibility.
Beginners can become frustrated when starting balance exercises. With many other types of exercises, one can perform beginning skills early. For example, most people who begin lifting weights for exercise can use lighter weights at first. Similarly, some who cannot jog a full mile without stopping can walk the entire mile or switch between jogging and walking while building stamina. If the person continues to train, eventually the weight he or she can lift or the percentage of jogging or running versus walking increases. Psychologically, the person progressing is more likely to continue an exercise program than one who sees no progress or cannot perform an exercise.
People may treat balance exercises differently, however. If one cannot balance at all on some of the devices, he or she may give up such exercises. Thus, initial use of balance devices that allows for successful balancing would allow a person to perform balance exercises and gain their benefit. As a result, the person would be less likely to quit such exercises.
There has been a need in the active exercise community for people to develop better sensory/movement awareness to avoid injury, facilitate better postural choices, and to improve muscular coordination.